Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has written off the annual debt of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mr Andy Kerr: Because the Scottish Ambulance Service has achieved its relevant financial targets in recent years there is no annual debt to write off. The internal arrangements that the ambulance service makes for funding different parts of its operations are matters for the chairman and the board, subject to the service continuing to meet its performance targets agreed with the Scottish Executive.

Bridges

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9060 by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004, what the purpose was of requesting a business case outlining the importance of four bridges, including Lochwinnoch Bridge, in key locations in the area.

Nicol Stephen: A detailed business case from the council would allow the Executive to examine the issues involved, and decide what advice or support might be offered to the council.

Bridges

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9060 by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004, what analysis and conclusions were drawn from the business case.

Nicol Stephen: Renfrewshire Council has provided a two page briefing note on four bridges in the area which require strengthening works, rather than a detailed business case. As such, it has not been possible to carry out any detailed analysis of the position.

Burial and Cremation

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34111 by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 March 2003, what the membership and remit is of the working group on the legislation governing burial and cremation.

Mr Andy Kerr: Details of the membership and remit of the working group are currently being finalised and will be announced shortly. The amended cremation regulations are now in place.

Central Heating Programme

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to offer all householders who have a partial or inefficient central heating system access to its central heating programme through EAGA Partnership Ltd.

Malcolm Chisholm: In our spending proposals for 2005-08, Building a Better Scotland , we announced our target that by 2008 all pensioner households eligible for pension credit will meet the energy efficiency components of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. We will announce the programmes that will deliver that target shortly.

Cities

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make further allocations from the Cities Growth Fund and, if so, when and on what basis.

Mr Tom McCabe: In Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2005-2008 , we announced that we would maintain in real terms our support for Scotland’s six cities through the Cities Growth Fund in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

  Funding of £40 million for 2005-06 has already been allocated to the six cities. Details of how we intend to allocate a further £41 million for 2006-07 and £42 million for 2007-08 are expected to be announced in December 2004, alongside the general funding settlement for local government for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

  This will allow the six cities good time to plan ahead for their new investment for 2006-07 and 2007-08, reflecting our confidence in local authorities and their Community Planning partners across each City Region to deliver their City Vision strategies.

Communities

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of additional investment will be provided for increased community-based drug rehabilitation.

Hugh Henry: The Minister for Justice announced on 27 October that an additional £6 million per annum will be provided to support drug treatment and rehabilitation services. This will bring direct support for services to a total of £32.5 million per annum, an increase of 23% from 2004-05.

Council Tax

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level is of (a) council tax and (b) community charge debt across Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The table below shows the total debt outstanding across Scotland as at 31 March 2004, for both Council Tax and Community Charge.

  

 
Billing Years
Debt Outstanding as at 31 March 2004
(£ Million)


Council Tax
1993-94 to 2003-04
723.029


Community Charge
1989-90 to 1992-93
439.571



  Source: CTRR and CCRR returns to the Scottish Executive.

  Notes: Up to and including 1995-96 the figures include Community Water Charges (1989-90 to 1992-93) and Council Water Charges (1993-94 to 1995-96). Council tax figures from 1993-94 to 1995-96 do not include Dumfries and Galloway as no data has been supplied for this period.

Council Tax

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of council tax debt relates to water and sewerage charges.

Tavish Scott: Council tax debt and water and sewerage charge debt are reported separately by local authorities.

  As at 31 March 2004, the debt outstanding across Scotland against water and sewerage charges from 1996-97 to 2003-04 was £191.966 million. Over the same period, the debt outstanding across Scotland against council tax was £602.382 million. Water and sewerage charge debt therefore represents 24.2% of the total debt outstanding for the period.

Courts

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small claims cases have been before the courts in each of the last five years and, of these, how many were successful and what the average level of payment was.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive publishes statistics annually in its publication "Civil Judicial Statistics" which can be found on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/cjs02-00.asp.

  This publication will answer the first two elements of this question. The average level of payment is not collected.

  The Executive is currently reviewing the way the Justice Department collects and provides information and statistics about the civil justice system. A consultation document has been issued. It is available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/view/views.asp. Closing date for responses is 17 December 2004.

Debt

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many wage arrestments there were for debts relating to (a) council tax and (b) other debts in each of the last three years.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bank arrestments there were for debts relating to (a) council tax and (b) other debts in each of the last three years.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for compulsory sale orders there have been since their inception for debts relating to (a) council tax and (b) other debts.

Hugh Henry: Data at this level of detail is not collected centrally. Top-line information is collected and published annually in Civil Judicial Statistics. The latest version can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/cjs02-00.asp .

  The Executive is currently reviewing the way the Justice Department collects and provides information and statistics about the civil justice system. A consultation document has been issued. It is available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/view/views.asp. Closing date for responses is 17 December 2004.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will review the NHS dental contract.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive recently concluded a major consultation, Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland , which included how NHS dental services should be provided and remunerated in the future. Responses to this consultation have now been analysed and we expect to issue a policy statement in the autumn.

Dentistry

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prevent dentists threatening NHS patients with withdrawal of access to treatment unless patients contract into more expensive private dental schemes.

Rhona Brankin: As independent contractors general dental practitioners are free to choose whether to treat each individual patient under NHS arrangements.

  The Executive has also recently concluded a major consultation, Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland, which asked for views on how NHS dental services could work best in the future, for both patients and dentists. Responses to this consultation have now been analysed and we expect to make a policy statement in the autumn. In the meantime, we will continue to work with representatives of the dental profession to introduce additional short-term measures to encourage dentists to provide NHS dental treatment while longer term substantial changes are developed.

Dentists

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists it estimates the NHS in the Dumfries and Galloway area requires and how many are currently employed.

Rhona Brankin: There were 16 dentists employed in community and hospital dental services and 43 general dentists in NHS Dumfries and Galloway at 30 September 2003.

  Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in an area rests with NHS boards. New arrangements for workforce planning are developing at national, regional and NHS board level.

Dentists

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to recruit dentists from other countries in the European Union to alleviate the shortage of dentists in Scotland, in particular in the north east.

Mr Andy Kerr: The responsibility for recruiting dentists is a matter for NHS boards and independent dental practitioners who own dental practices. I understand that some boards and indeed some dental practitioners have advertised vacancies and recruited from abroad but specific information is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

Digital Hearing Aids

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many digital hearing aids were issued in each NHS board area in the last financial year.

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were waiting for digital hearing aids to be fitted in each NHS board area in each of the last three years, expressed also as a percentage of the number of overall requests in each area, and what the average waiting time was in each year in each board area.

Rhona Brankin: These details are not held centrally. NHS boards should be approached directly for this information.

  However, a total of 19,079 digital hearing aids were drawn off the central contract arranged by Scottish Healthcare Supplies during the period April 2003 to March 2004.

Drug Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of investment has been provided for community-based drug rehabilitation in each year since 1999.

Hugh Henry: The Executive provides resource to NHS boards and local authorities to support treatment and rehabilitation services respectively. The allocations from 1999-2000 to the current financial year are set out in the table:

  

£ Million
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


NHS Boards
11.352
12.352
14.973
16.951
16.951
19.751


Local Authorities
-
-
6.800
6.800
6.800
6.800


Total
11.352
12.352
21.773
23.751
23.751
26.551

Drug Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the nature is of the presumptive test carried out by drugs squads, and other police officers, in order to ascertain whether substances are proscribed drugs; how many such tests have been carried out in each year since 1999 and, of these, in how many cases the drugs were shown not to be proscribed drugs.

Hugh Henry: Presumptive tests, which involve chemical analysis of substances which are believed to contain heroin, cannabis, cannabis resin or amphetamine, are carried out in order to provide a quick initial indication of the type of drug involved. These tests, which may be carried out by forensic scientists or trained police officers, differ according to drug type. Information on the numbers and outcomes of presumptive tests carried out is not held centrally.

Fertility Treatment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting time is for fertility treatment, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is currently reviewing the provision of infertility services in NHS Scotland, including waiting times. I anticipate that this information will be made available to the public by the end of 2004.

Fire Safety

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to amend fire safety regulations in respect of sub-surface railway stations.

Hugh Henry: Fire Safety in sub-surface railways is subject to the Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) Regulations 1989 and additionally, since 1999, the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997. The continued need for these Regulations is being considered in the context of the Fire (Scotland) Bill provisions which, at Part 3, reform the existing fire safety regime.

Fire Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for (a) pay and (b) pension costs in the fire service in each year since 1999 and what funding has been allocated for modernisation costs in the fire service in each year in which figures are available.

Hugh Henry: The total funding in respect of Grant Aided Expenditure allocations to fire authorities is set out in the following table:

  

Year
Staff Costs (Including Pay)
(£000)
Running Costs
(£000)
Pensions Costs
(£000)
Total
(£000)


1999-2000
133,365
16,468
20,167
170,000


2000-01
142,435
20,000
24,465
186,900


2001-02
155,439
22,074
25,000
202,513


2002-03
163,114
23,164
26,235
212,513


2003-04
172,090
24,254
36,469
232,813


2004-05
181,090
24,254
42,469
247,813



  In addition, we made a further £5.4 million available to fire authorities to assist with pensions costs during 2002-03. I have also authorised the release of a further £16.8 million during this financial year to assist with the implementation of the June 2003 pay and modernisation agreement. It is for the fire authorities to determine the use of these funds in delivering an effective and efficient service to their communities.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures were (a) planned and (b) adopted as a result of Protecting and Promoting Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries and what future legislation will be introduced in relation to this sector.

Lewis Macdonald: Protecting and Promoting Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries was published in April 2000, and set out where Scotland’s wild fish and fisheries were at the time of publication. Scotland’s freshwater fish and fisheries: securing their future was published in August 2001, and consulted on a number of proposals to be adopted in both the short and the long-term.

  The Scottish Freshwater Fisheries Forum has now been established to take forward a number of outstanding issues.

Flood Prevention

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which flood alleviation schemes it has approved in the last five years, broken down by local authority and detailing cost per scheme.

Lewis Macdonald: Eighteen flood prevention schemes, made by local authorities, have been confirmed by Scottish ministers in the last five years. Details of the schemes, the authority concerned and the authority’s estimated cost of carrying out the scheme at the time it was made are as follows:

  

Scheme
Authority
Estimated Cost (£000)


Fraser Road, Aberdeen 
Aberdeen City Council
350


Over Burn Culvert, Inverurie
Aberdeenshire Council
566


Rothesay 
Argyll and Bute Council
1,000


Portpatrick 
Dumfries and Galloway Council
899


Crookedholm, Riccarton and Galston 
East Ayrshire Council
5,900


River Kelvin 
East Dunbartonshire Council
6,562


Dunfermline 
Fife Council
3,725


Earnhill Road, Gourock 
Inverclyde Council
115


Lhanbryde 
Moray Council
1,390


Largs 
North Ayrshire Council
691


Bridge of Earn
Perth and Kinross Council
360


Weem Village
Perth and Kinross Council
190


Earnbank, Bridge of Earn
Perth and Kinross Council
170


Milnathort
Perth and Kinross Council
230


Moredun Playing Field
Renfrewshire Council
793


Collier Street, Johnstone
Renfrewshire Council
693


River Gryfe, Crosslee
Renfrewshire Council
803


Mains Burn, Linlithgow 
West Lothian Council
830

G8 Summit

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the environmental impact of the 2005 G8 Summit on Perthshire and Kinross.

Mr Tom McCabe: The G8 Summit is a UK Government event. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, working with colleagues in the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, is looking at the environmental impact of the summit and will work with the Scottish Executive to minimise this.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to publish guidelines on the management of community equipment and adaptations.

Rhona Brankin: We will review the existing guidance shortly in line with the recommendations of the recent Audit Scotland report, Adapting to the future: Management of community equipment and adaptations .

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is a seamless development of services delivering community equipment and adaptations and whether it will amalgamate the management and budget of these services in a single body within each NHS board area.

Rhona Brankin: We already promote better integration of all community care services, including community equipment and adaptations, as part of the Joint Future agenda. The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 enables local authority and NHS partnerships to go further by delegating functions and pooling budgets.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has published to ensure that all potential users of community equipment and adaptations receive full information of the services available to them locally and nationally.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has not published comprehensive guidance, although it expects to review what exists shortly, in line with Audit Scotland’s recommendations.

  However, local authorities have a duty under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Scotland) Act 1972 to publish general information about the services they provide. And I expect them to implement the recommendation in the Audit Scotland report, Adapting to the future: Management of community equipment and adaptations, that jointly with NHS boards they should publish comprehensive information on community equipment and adaptations.

Health

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what health monitoring it intends to carry out in the communities surrounding Hunterston.

Mr Andy Kerr: There are already robust provisions for monitoring the incidence of disease in Scotland, at both local and national level. The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health monitors infectious diseases through its Scottish Infectious Disease Surveillance System and NHS National Services Scotland monitors the incidence of cancers via the Scottish Cancer Registration Scheme.

  In response to concerns in the past about the possible effects of Hunterston power station and the health of the local population, Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board commissioned an independent, multi-agency investigation into cancer rates and radioactivity, which reported in November 1999. This investigation included Hunterston power station and the surrounding area. This independent investigation found no statistically significant excess of cancer levels among local people and no excess radiation hazard presented by Hunterston.

  More generally, the principal independent expert advisory committee for the UK Government and devolved administrations, on the health effects of radiation is the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). COMARE has already been asked to advise on which, if any, nuclear installations in Great Britain have incidences of childhood cancer and leukaemia in their vicinity that are significantly outside the distribution seen nationally. COMARE is therefore considering the geographical distribution of childhood cancer to see how the pattern of cases around nuclear installations compares with the national pattern. A report on this work is expected to be published early in 2005.

Health and Safety

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking within its powers in respect of the implementation of the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on the safety of cemetery memorials.

Tavish Scott: Responsibility for the management, regulation and control of burial grounds rests with local authorities, which also have responsibility for taking reasonable precautions where there is a foreseeable risk to either persons at work or members of the public. The Scottish Executive has no plans to intervene in this matter.

Health and Safety

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Home Office's Burials and Cemeteries Advisory Group regarding guidelines on the safety of cemetery memorials.

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA on the safety of cemetery memorials.

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, and similar national organisations, regarding the safety of cemetery memorials.

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with funeral directors’ and monumental masons’ organisations regarding the safety of cemetery memorials.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive has not had any such discussions.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to require hospital visitors to wash their hands on leaving patients’ bedsides to combat the spread of MRSA.

Mr Andy Kerr: The management of the spread of infection is complex and visitors are as likely to bring infection into hospitals, unknowingly, as to carry it away after a visit. Making hand hygiene compulsory for visitors would be difficult to enforce. We expect NHS boards to offer hand hygiene advice, particularly in the context of outbreaks or for infected patients in isolation. The Chief Medical Officer has issued Top Tips which guide visitors on how to help reduce the spread of infection.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new build houses for rent have been completed in Glasgow since the transfer of housing stock from Glasgow City Council to Glasgow Housing Association Ltd.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Since the Glasgow housing stock transfer in March 2003, 1,338 new build houses for rent have been completed with Scottish Executive funding, with a further 986 expected to be completed in 2004-05.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any meetings which have taken place between LPG Living and Glasgow Housing Association Ltd’s Investment and Regeneration Department.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The Executive understands there have been discussions between Glasgow Housing Association and LPG Living, but has not been involved in those discussions.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed the sale of high rise flats in the Glasgow area with Glasgow Housing Association Ltd and LPG Living.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  No discussions have been held with either Glasgow Housing Association Ltd or LPG Living about this issue.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the secondary housing stock transfer between Glasgow Housing Association Ltd and local housing organisations in Glasgow will be completed.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Both the Scottish Executive and Glasgow Housing Association Ltd remain committed to Second Stage Transfers. The Glasgow Housing Association has a prototype programme in progress involving 16,000 houses, and has indicated in its new draft Business Plan an ambition to achieve the transfer of the majority of its stock by 2007. However, of paramount importance in progressing these proposals will be ensuring the delivery of commitments to tenants, and securing majority tenant support.

Human Rights Commission

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10185 by Hugh Henry on 11 October 2004, whether it can give specific dates when it will complete its consideration of the responses to the consultation on a Scottish human rights commission and deliver its commitment to establish a commission.

Hugh Henry: The Executive is fully committed to the creation of a Scottish Human Rights Commission within the lifetime of this Parliament. We are making the necessary progress on detailed consideration of all aspects of policy, including follow up on the consultation responses, in accordance with this timescale.

Income

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the average level of household income to be; how many households have an income below this average level, and how many people live in those households.

Mr Tom McCabe: In 2002-03, the median level of gross household income in Scotland was £18,200 per annum and the mean level of gross household income was £25,300.

  Fifty per cent of households will have income below the median (1,120,000 households) and 1,880,000 individuals lived in these households. Sixty-three per cent of households had income below the mean (1,420,000 households); 2,580,000 individuals lived in these households.

  These figures have not been adjusted to account for the size or composition of households. As such, it cannot be assumed that a household or individual with household income below the average has necessarily got a lower standard of living than a household or individual with household income above the average.

  Figures for 2003-04 will be available in March 2005.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the base year is from which a 10% (a) reduction in the number of persistent young offenders and (b) increase in the number of drug misusers entering treatment is to be achieved by March 2008.

Hugh Henry: The base year for (a) is 2005-06 and for (b) the base year is 2003-04.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it will put in place to help reintegrate prisoners at the end of their sentence while safeguarding the community.

Cathy Jamieson: Risk and community safety are always key considerations in the management of offenders. The enhanced throughcare strategy will provide an integrated approach to work in both prison and in the community. For those subject to statutory supervision, improved provision is being made through supervising officers being designated at the point of sentence and better information transfer between prison and the supervising authority.

  For prisoners eligible for voluntary assistance, priority is given to supervision of high risk offenders, young offenders and those who require to continue programmes started in prison.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to (a) drug and (b) youth court pilots in each year since they began.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is as follows:

  

Drug Court (£)
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Glasgow
1,459,141
1,732,460
1,824,731
1,926,604


Fife
-
574,649
774,837
794,255



  With the exception of 2004-05 (forecast expenditure), figures are actual spend by agencies involved with the drug court. Figures for Glasgow also cover cost of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders – the nature of service provision means that it is not possible to separate out certain specific costs in relation to the drug court.

  

Youth Court (£)
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Lanarkshire
49,579
1,444,395
2,772,350



  With the exception of 2004-05 (forecast expenditure), figures are actual spend by agencies involved with the youth court. Hamilton Youth Court commenced June 2003, Airdrie June 2004.

Justice

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the top level of compensation in small claims cases and when an announcement on this issue will be made.

Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to S2O-3573 answered on 6 October 2004 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.

  The considerations referred to in that answer include the removal of claims for personal injury (compensation) from small claims procedure. I am not yet in a position to say when an announcement on these issues will be made.

Justice

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the membership of its Working Group for Research into the Legal Services markets in Scotland includes sufficient representation of lay opinion.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the membership of its Working Group for Research into the Legal Services markets in Scotland includes sufficient consumer interest representation.

Hugh Henry: Yes. Membership includes representatives from the Scottish Consumer Council, Citizens Advice Scotland, the Office of Fair Trading, and the legal professional bodies, as well as academic researchers and representatives of the Scottish Executive. Membership of the group is consistent with its remit which requires specialised expertise to cover the consumer, economic, socio-legal and legal services market issues under consideration. The main role of the group is to ensure that the research fully explores the issues set out in its remit, which together with the minutes of its meetings is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/Civil/17822/19316 .

  The research undertaken under the auspices of the Group has sought evidence from other organisations with an interest in the relevant issues: and the Executive will of course take into consideration any further relevant submissions put forward.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many trials were adjourned to allow fresh legal representation to be obtained in each year since 1999, broken down by sheriff court.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5226 by Colin Boyd QC on 13 January 2004, whether all the cataloguing of relevant material regarding the shooting at Dunblane school has now been completed by the officials of the National Archives of Scotland and whether the papers are available to the public.

Colin Boyd QC: Officials from the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) completed the cataloguing process in February 2004 in accordance with NAS business objectives.

  The relevant documents were transferred to Crown Office in March 2004 in order that they could be reviewed in detail by Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service officials to allow me to determine what of the material can be released in its entirety, what can be released in an edited format to "anonymise" data and what is unsuitable for release.

  The review and editing process has been a lengthy, complex and detailed one, necessitating the removal from documents of the names of living individuals and replacing with individual designations, such as "Witness 1" or "Child A" to preserve anonymity but ensure that the edited documents would still makes sense to any reader. Removing an individual’s name may, in some documents, not preserve anonymity, so it is also necessary to consider whether redaction of names is sufficient in each case. It will not be possible for each and every document to be released, even in an edited manner.

  The process is nearing completion and it is anticipated that material will be available to the public at NAS in early 2005.

Land Ownership

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made provision for any expense likely to be incurred when communities seek to establish township boundaries ahead of launching bids for community land.

Lewis Macdonald: No such provision has been made.

Land Ownership

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to remove any loopholes in its legislation for community land purchases that could potentially prevent communities buying out the full value of estates’ assets due to landowners leasing key portions of estates to companies controlled on their behalf.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to answer to question S2W-10902 on 8 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the statutory rights of access provided by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 will come into effect.

Lewis Macdonald: We expect to be in a position to bring the rights of access established by Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 into effect in the early part of 2005. Before then we intend to issue guidance to local authorities under section 27 of the act on the discharge of their functions with respect to access rights. A draft of this guidance will be laid before the Parliament shortly. Also, we are currently consulting on a draft order to be made under section 8 of the Act that would bring woods and forests within access rights. Such an order can only be made if approved by resolution of the Parliament.

  Our intention is that access rights will be in effect in good time to allow a major publicity and educational campaign to be mounted to alert the public and land managers to the implications of the new access arrangements, and to their responsibilities under the act, prior to the main period of countryside recreational activities starting around Easter.

Legal Aid

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for legal aid in each year since 1999, expressed also in real terms with 1999 as the base year.

Hugh Henry: The following table sets out the funding, in cash and real terms, for legal aid made by the Scottish Executive in each year since 1999. The funding covers the costs of the Scottish legal aid fund and the administrative costs of the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

  

(£000s)
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Funding for legal aid allocated by the Scottish Executive (cash terms)
125,732
132,980
133,484
145,651
157,020


Funding for legal aid allocated by the Scottish Executive (real terms – base 1999)
125,732
131,455
128,676
135,834
142,464

Legal Aid

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the administration of the criminal and civil legal aid registration scheme has cost and how many staff have been employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in respect of the registration scheme, in each year since the inception of the scheme.

Hugh Henry: The table below sets out the administration costs and staff employed in respect of the criminal legal aid registration scheme for each year since 1998-99.

  

 
1998-99
(£)
1999-2000
(£)
2000-01
(£)
2001-02
(£)
2002-03
(£)
2003-04
(£)


Expenditure
112,475
121,173
134,943
118,473
106,782
108,478


Staff
(Whole-Time Equivalent)

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.2

3.9

4.0



  The cost of work undertaken in 2003-04 in connection with the establishment of the civil registration scheme was £28,547. 0.8 whole-time equivalent staff were employed on this work.

Legal Aid

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many firms registered for (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid work with the Scottish Legal Aid Board in each year since registration was introduced.

Hugh Henry: The following table sets out the number of firms registered for criminal legal assistance in each year since registration was introduced in 1999. The figures relate to the position in December, when the register is published.

  

Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


Firms
733
709
684
663
665
661



  The civil legal assistance register formally came into being on 1 July 2004. There are currently 747 firms on the register.

Legal Aid

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to name applicants for legal aid who have given false or incomplete information about their financial circumstances.

Hugh Henry: No.

Legal Aid

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were investigated by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 2003-04 where it appeared that the applicant had not provided complete and accurate information about their financial circumstances.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Legal Aid Board concluded investigations into 967 such cases in 2003-04.

Legal Aid

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases in 2003-04 the Scottish Legal Aid Board refused an application for legal aid because the applicant had not provided complete and accurate information about their financial circumstances.

Hugh Henry: In 2003-04 the Scottish Legal Aid Board refused 65 applications in these circumstances.

Legal Aid

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases in 2003-04 the Scottish Legal Aid Board terminated legal aid because the applicant had not provided complete and accurate information about their financial circumstances.

Hugh Henry: In 2003-04 the Scottish Legal Aid Board terminated the grant of legal aid in 146 cases where it believed the applicants had not provided complete and accurate information about their financial circumstances. In a further 23 cases, grants of advice and assistance were terminated.

Legal Aid

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases in 2003-04 the Scottish Legal Aid Board referred a claim for legal aid to the procurator fiscal because the applicant had not provided complete and accurate information about their financial circumstances.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Legal Aid Board referred five such cases to the procurator fiscal in 2003-04.

Licensing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the forthcoming legislation on licensing will include better regulation of door stewards at licensed premises.

Cathy Jamieson: It is intended to include door supervisors at licensed premises within the planned regulatory regime for the private security industry.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to address any concerns that have been notified to it about the Sodexho contract at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Mr Andy Kerr: Following recent allegations in a newspaper article, the Executive has received assurances from the Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow.

  The Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow has made it clear to Sodexho that he expects nothing other than the highest standards of compliance with their contract. NHS Greater Glasgow is monitoring the situation closely.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons currently serve on more than one non-departmental public body (NDPB); what NDPBs these are; what remuneration each of these persons receive from each NDPB; how long each such person has served on each NDPB in each year since 1999, and whether any of these persons are politically affiliated.

Tom McCabe: As at 1 November 2004, there were 868 appointees serving on NDPBs sponsored by the Scottish Executive and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland’s Code of Practice. Of these, 33 appointees (or 3.8% of the total) serve on more than one NDPB and only six (or 0.7%) have declared any political activity in the five years prior to appointment.

  The information requested about the 33 individuals (which is also published on the Executive’s public bodies website www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies) is as follows.

  

Members of more than 1 public body
Names of Bodies involved
Appt from
Appt to
Remuneration Levels (£)
Term of appt
Details of party where political activity declared


Professor Alan Alexander
Scottish Water
Accounts Commission for Scotland
03-02

10-02
03-05

09-05
52,650

4,500
1st

1st
-



Mr James Barbour
NHS National Services Scotland
Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards
04-03

 
11-04
03-07

 
10-07
7,160

 
-
1st

 
1st
-




Mr David Belfall
Lothian NHS Board
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
04-04

01-02
03-08

12-05
7,160

230 per day
1st

1st
-



Mr William Brackenridge
Scottish Ambulance Service
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd
07-03

 
12-02
06-07

 
11-05
22,495

 
6,568
1st

 
2nd

Member of Community Council



Dr Lindsay Burley
National Waiting Times Centre Board
NHS Education for Scotland
04-03

 
04-02
04-07

 
03-06
22,495

 
7,160
1st

 
1st

-




Mr George Campbell
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Deer Commission for Scotland
10-04

 
01-02
10-07

 
12-04
9,651

 
4,194
1st

 
2nd

-




Mr Michael Cantlay
VisitScotland
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority
10-01

07-02
09-05

07-06
8,235

178.50 per day
2nd

1st

-




Mr Arthur Cormack
Scottish Arts Council
BÒRD GÀIDHLIG na h-ALBA (The Gaelic Development Agency)
04-04

01-03
03-07

12-05
-

6,000

1st

1st
Member of the Highlands and Islands Alliance in 1999


Mrs Jean Couper
Accounts Commission for Scotland
Scottish Legal Aid Board
10-02

 
04-02
09-05

 
03-06
4,500

 
28,603
1st

 
2nd
-



Ms Pamela Courcha
Highland NHS Board
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission)
04-04

09-04
03-08

08-07
7,160

7,336
1st

2nd

SNP


Mr Gilbert Cox
North Lanarkshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
South Lanarkshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
11-00

 
 
11-00
08-10

 
 
08-10
-

 
 
-
1st

 
 
1st
-



Mr Keith Geddes
Accounts Commission for Scotland
Scottish Natural Heritage
10-02

 
04-04
09-05

 
03-07

4,500

 
8,847
1st

 
2nd

Labour



Lady Isabel Glasgow
Scottish Natural Heritage
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority
04-04

07-02
03-07

07-06
18,733

178.50 per day
2nd

1st
-




Mr Lex Gold CBE
Lanarkshire NHS Board
NHS National Services Scotland
04-02

04-03
03-06

03-07
28,630

7,160
1st

1st

-



Brigadier Donald Hardie
West Dunbartonshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
East Dunbartonshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
04-96

 
 
04-96
01-11

 
 
01-11
-
-
1st

 
 
2nd

-



Mrs Mary Hartnoll
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission)
Scottish Social Services Council
08-04

 
 
07-04
07-07

 
 
07-07
22,009

 
 
Nil - Paid as Convenor of SCRC
2nd

 
 
1st
-

 



Major Richard Henderson
South Ayrshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
East Ayrshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
04-96

 
 
04-96
06-06

 
 
07-06
-
-
1st

 
 
1st
-




Mr Pat Kelly
NHS 24
Scottish Water
12-01

09-03
11-05

03-06
7,160

18,565
1st

1st
Labour


Mrs Alice Lambert
Scottish Ambulance Service
Scottish Natural Heritage
04-03

 
04-02
03-07

 
03-05
7,160

 
7,805
1st

 
2nd
-



Dr Isabelle Low
State Hospitals Board for Scotland
Accounts Commission for Scotland
12-01

 
10-03
11-05

 
09-06
7,160

 
10,500
1st

 
2nd

-



Mrs Neena Mahal
Lanarkshire NHS Board
National Museums of Scotland
04-04

04-04
03-08

03-08
7,160

-
1st

2nd
-



Mrs Ann Markham OBE
NHS Education for Scotland
NHS National Services Scotland
01-02

 
09-04-
12-05

 
08-08
22,495

 
7,160

1st

 
2nd

-




Professor James McGoldrick
Tayside NHS Board
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
04-04

07-04
03-08

12-05
7,160

5,378
1st

2nd

-



Mr Iain McMillan
Scottish Ambulance Service
Scottish Qualifications Authority
04-04

 
01-02
03-08

 
12-05
7,160

 
4,120
2nd

 
2nd

-



Dr Joseph J Morrow
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration
10-02

 
04-02
09-06

 
03-06
2,138

 
4,230
2nd

 
1st

Labour



Mr Cameron Parker
East Renfrewshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
Inverclyde Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
Renfrewshire Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
05-98

 
 
05-98

 
 
05-98
04-07

 
 
04-07

 
 
04-07
-

 
 
-

1st

 
 
1st

 
 
1st
-



Mr Ian Ritchie
National Museums of Scotland
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
Scottish Enterprise
10-02

 
06-02

 
12-02
09-06

 
05-06

 
11-05
-

 
5,378

 
9,651
1st

 
1st

 
2nd
-



Mr James Royan OBE
Scottish Ambulance Service
Grampian NHS Board
09-03

 
09-03
08-05

 
08-07
7,160

 
28,630
2nd

 
2nd
-



Mr Satnam Singh
Scottish Legal Aid Board
Lothian NHS Board
04-04

04-04
03-08

03-06
8,125

7,160
1st

1st
-



Mr Ian Smith
Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration
National Museums of Scotland
04-04

 
04-03
04-08

 
03-07
4,230

2nd

 
2nd
-



Lieutenant Colonel James Stirling of Garden
Stirling Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
Falkirk Justice of the Peace Advisory Committee
04-96

 
 
04-96
09-05

 
 
09-05
-
-
1st

 
 
1st
-



Mr Alan Tripp
Scottish Further Education Funding Council
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
04-03

 
 
08-04
03-07

 
 
01-06
5,378

 
 
5,378
2nd

 
 
2nd

-



Professor Susan Walker OBE
Deer Commission for Scotland
Cairngorms National Park Authority
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
01-02

 
03-03

 
04-03

01-03

12-04

 
03-07

 
03-06

12-05

4,194

 
182.50 per day

 
8,587

5,909

1st

 
1st

 
2nd

1st

-

Prescription Charges

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal fees were incurred by the NHS in pursuing prosecutions for prescription charge evasions last year.

Rhona Brankin: None. No criminal charges have been brought against patients for prescription charge evasion in Scotland. There has been one criminal case involving four charges of fraud perpetrated by altering prescription forms and one criminal case involving four charges of fraud perpetrated by obtaining drugs using false identities. Both cases were led by the police, with support provided by investigators from NHSScotland Counter Fraud Services. Civil penalty charges may be imposed on patients who are found to have evaded NHS charges, including prescription charges.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the "unprecedented high levels" of overcrowding at HM Prison, Inverness, as referred to in the Scottish Prison Service’s Annual Report and Accounts 2003-04 .

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS is keeping the situation under review and where practicable is moving low supervision prisoners to other Scottish Prison Service establishments. The SPS is currently spending the equivalent of £1.5 million per week to provide new and refurbished accommodation to alleviate overcrowding and to make the Estate "fit for purpose".

Public Sector Pay

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average public sector salary was in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The following table shows the average gross salary in the public sector in each year since 1999.

  Table 1. Average Annual Gross Pay (£) – for Full-Time Employee Jobs1: Scotland, 1999-2004

  

Year
Public Sector Average Gross Pay (£)


1999
19,670


2000
20,600


2001
21,605


2002
22,475


2003
23,093


2004
23,650



  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

  Note: 1. Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than a year.

Renewable Energy

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed new Scottish National Heritage headquarters in Inverness will have any provision for the collection of solar energy.

Lewis Macdonald: Yes. The design meets the stringent energy targets demanded by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology "excellent" rating. One of the key elements of the proposal is that the building will be passively ventilated using solar gain within an atrium to "drive" the system.

Research

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the process of funding for research institutes and, if so, whether any measures are being considered that will help ensure the future of those institutes funded directly by it that are unable to compete with the higher education sector for funding from research councils.

Lewis Macdonald: The draft strategy for agricultural and biological research outlined proposals for changes to the funding mechanisms for the commissioning of research by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department from the main research providers. The final research strategy will be published shortly. Implementation of strategy aims will involve dialogue with research councils which will address the issue of access for research institutes to research council funds.

Residential Care

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the personal expenses allowance for individuals in care homes from the current level of £18.10 per week.

Rhona Brankin: The personal expenses allowance for care home residents is normally increased in April each year. No decisions have yet been taken on the April 2005 uprating.

Respite Care

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allocate increased funding for respite care in the community for people with complex care needs and a high dependency on care services.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist facilities are available to provide respite care outwith hospitals for patients with complex care needs in Lothian.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has provided local authorities with £1.4 billion this year for the provision of community care, building on the record levels we have invested in social care over recent years. Respite is a key service that helps people with support needs and their carers. In recognition of this, over the last three years £22 million has been provided to authorities specifically to increase respite provision. Total provision for services to support carers, including respite, has risen four-fold from £5 million in 1999-2000 to £21 million in 2004-05. Our Partnership Agreement builds on this historically high investment through a commitment to ensure that local authorities in Scotland continue to deliver existing levels of respite each year. Authorities must determine how all of the resources available to them are used, in order to meet local needs and priorities. We will be monitoring the overall increase in respite provision achieved for these additional resources but we do not hold information on specific services provided by individual authorities.

  The Executive’s overall aim has been to increase access to respite for users and carers and we will continue to work with key stakeholders to deliver that. An Executive/local authority-led working group is currently looking to improve the data available on respite provision both at a local and national level. To do that we need to create a more standardised definition of respite services for use by local authorities. This is a complex area but one we are working to resolve.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by the Scottish procurement directorate, broken down also by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin and what proportion of such staff have a professional qualification in procurement, broken down by (i) grade and (ii) pay scale.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Procurement Directorate (SPD) comprises of five branches; Policy, Procurement Operations, Building Division, eProcurement Scotland and EASEbuy Implementation.

  The Directorate has to achieve Value for Money in the procurement of goods and services and savings for the financial year have to exceed the direct running costs of the Procurement Operations team within that same timescale.

  The breakdown of SPD staff is as follows:

  

Grade
Male
Female


SCS
2
0


Band C
7
1


Band B
24
19


Band A
2
7


Total
35
27



  Twenty-six staff (93%) who are classified as working in the procurement function area of the SPD are either full members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), or partially qualified. The CIPS is an Institute incorporated by Royal Charter and is recognised by both the private and public sectors as the leading UK and international professional Institute for procurement professionals.

  Ethnicity is classed as sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act, and we give a guarantee to staff that only a small, identified number of human resources staff will have access to this data. Therefore, to preserve confidentiality, it is Scottish Executive policy not to publish figures relating to ethnicity in defined circumstances.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 ( Official Report col. 10412), how many staff are employed by its centre of expertise for programme policy and project delivery broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin and what proportion of such staff have a relevant professional qualification as recognised by the Executive, broken down by (i) grade and (ii) pay scale.

Mr Tom McCabe: Two members of the Executive’s Scottish Procurement Directorate staff are responsible for its centre of expertise for programme, policy and project delivery. Both of them (a C1 grade and a B3 grade, one male, one female) have extensive experience in project management.

  Ethnicity is classed as sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act, and we give a guarantee to staff that only a small, identified number of human resources staff will have access to this data. Therefore, to preserve confidentiality, it is Scottish Executive policy not to publish figures relating to ethnicity in defined circumstances.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 ( Official Report col. 10413), how many of its staff are defined as "new internal sources of expertise and guidance on the interpretation and application of European Union procurement rules" broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin and what professional qualifications are held by such officers, broken down by (i) grade and (ii) pay scale.

Mr Tom McCabe: Three members of the Executive’s Scottish Procurement Directorate staff are now responsible for advising on the interpretation and application of European Union procurement rules. Each of them (C2, B3 and B2, all male) have extensive experience in public sector procurement and are full members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, the Institute incorporated by Royal Charter that is recognised by the private and public sector as the leading UK institute for procurement professionals.

  Ethnicity is classed as sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act, and we give a guarantee to staff that only a small, identified number of human resources staff will have access to this data. Therefore, to preserve confidentiality, it is Scottish Executive policy not to publish figures relating to ethnicity in defined circumstances.

Scottish Law Commission

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports it has received from the Scottish Law Commission in each year since 1999; of these, how many have been implemented, and what action it proposes to take regarding those reports which have not been implemented.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Law Commission has published 23 reports on particular subjects since the beginning of 1999, a number of which remain unimplemented in whole or in part. The reports cover a wide range of subjects, and it has not been possible to produce the detailed information requested in the time available. I will reply to the member with the remainder of the information requested as soon as possible.

Security Industry

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward legislation to regulate security firms more tightly, similar to that in England and Wales.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer to S2O-3797 answered on 4 November 2004, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.

Smoking

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what smoking cessation schemes for schoolchildren have been introduced in each education authority area and what participation in such schemes has been recorded.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has funded NHS Health Scotland to run eight pilot smoking cessation initiatives aimed specifically at young people (11 to 24-year-olds) in order to develop and evaluate best practice in this area. These pilots are being run in Shetland Islands, Western Isles, Moray, Angus, Falkirk, West Lothian, Greater Glasgow and Argyll and Clyde and will run from April 2002 until summer 2005. A final report will be completed in 2006.

  Information on any cessation services introduced by individual education authorities is not held centrally.

Smoking

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage of regular daily smokers in the population aged 15 or over was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the question S2W-10305 answered on 22 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Social Services

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on registration requirements for social care provision in the voluntary sector.

Rhona Brankin: All the services defined in Section 2 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, except adult placement services, some school care accommodation services and some independent health care services, are now being regulated by the Care Commission. Providers of regulated services, whether in the public, private or voluntary sector, have to be registered with the Care Commission.

  The Scottish Social Services Council is the regulatory body for the social service workforce. All social service workers in the public and independent sector will be required to register with the Council. Registration of the workforce will be undertaken in phases. The groups of staff to be included in Phases 1 and 2 were detailed in the publication The Way Forward for Care (Bib. number 7109), which was laid before Parliament in July 2000. The council has also published the qualification criteria for all staff in the first two phases of registration.

Social Work

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected budgetary allocations are for the Social Work Services Inspectorate’s disbursement under section 9(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 in respect of social care employee training for each of the next five years.

Euan Robson: Funding allocated to national voluntary organisations under Section 9(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 increased to £1.6 million in 2004-05. The majority of voluntary organisations received funding awards for three years.

  In addition to this funding, specific grant funding of £5.5 million has been made available to local authorities to improve the quality of social work service provision and the management of that provision by increasing the availability of training for relevant staff may be shared with their voluntary sector partners.

Voluntary Sector

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that 2005 would be the UK Year of the Volunteer and the subsequent announcement that voluntary sector partners have been identified and will receive funding from the Home Office, what information it has on which voluntary sector partners have been identified in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: Ministers are currently considering how to involve Scotland in this initiative. Therefore no decisions have been made regarding the potential involvement of Scottish voluntary sector partners.

Voluntary Sector

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what events are planned in Scotland as part of the UK Year of the Volunteer 2005, as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that 2005 would be the UK Year of the Volunteer, how much money is being made available to support this initiative, broken down by (a) organisation and (b) local authority area.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what attempts have been made to secure corporate sponsorship for the UK Year of the Volunteer 2005 in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11696, on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.